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>> welcome to the "journal" on dw. >> thanks for joining us. coming up, a powerful car bomb hits southern beirut. at least or teen are dead in a stronghold of the militant group hezbollah. >> the crisis in egypt. global condemnation as cairo admits more than 500 were killed in the violence. >> politicians remember world war ii.

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>> it's the biggest attack of its kind in southern beirut in a generation. at least 14 people were killed and more than 100 wounded as a car bomb blew up in a stronghold of the militant group hezbollah. >> the attack comes just weeks after another bombing in the area wounded 50. the violence adding to fears that lebanon is being sucked into the civil war in neighboring syria. >> we talk about that with a correspondent in beirut in a moment, but first, this report on today's attack. >> the blast ripped through a southern suburb of the lebanese capital wreaking havoc. ambulances rushed to the scene to tend to the dozens of casualties and transport them to hospitals. cars were ablaze and people were trapped in nearby burning buildings.

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authorities said it could have been a suicide attack. the political and military organization is made up largely of shia muslims and has openly expressed support for syrian president bashar al-assad. its chief even sent 1000 fighters to support him, causing friction with lebanese sunnis who largely sympathize with the lebanese rebels. last month, a booby-trapped car exploded in a different district of a brood that is also a hezbollah stronghold, leaving dozens wounded. this latest attack will only exacerbate tensions between sunnis and shia in lebanon. >> let's go live to beirut. mitchell, what is the latest that you are hearing about what is a very serious attack? >> i have just come from the scene and gotten off the phone

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with security officials. it seems as though the official count right now is 22 dead and at least 200 wounded in a bomb that went as large, they believe, as 70 kilos packed inside a car in what can only be described as what is a very dense residential neighborhood. >> >> it was the second bombing to hit the neighborhood in a month. tell us more about the background of this. who is mounting these attacks? >> it is the second attack, but this one will definitely turn out to be exponentially larger and more sophisticated than the first. they have been waiting for this sort of problem in southern beirut or in areas controlled by hezbollah as blowback for their involvement in the ongoing serious revolution.

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it looks like the war has come to beirut to a certain extent that some groups suggesting the target hezbollah out of revenge. >> what kind of revenge can we expect if any? >> in terms of retaliation, has blood is one of the most confident and professional organizations may be in all of the arab world. they are not just going to lash out, and they are definitely going to increase their security presence, although it is hard to even see how they could be more secure. the area of the bomb went off in today is regularly patrolled. people keep a very close eye on it. there are cctv cameras. bomb sniffing dogs patrol in at night to make sure nobody is planting anything. for somebody to have gotten through this, it is going to ask a lot of questions of hezbollah security forces, how this was able to happen. we assume they will be doing a

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proper investigation, just like you would expect from a normal intelligence service. in terms of retaliation from the shia community as a whole, they do tend to be somewhat disciplined in following the lead of has blood, but you can expect some acts of sectarian violence over the next couple of days. already, we are seeing sunni neighborhood celebrating with gun fire even within earshot of the bomb blasts, which, you know, is likely to exacerbate tensions. >> we are going to have to leave it there. thank you very much for being with us. the u.s. says it is canceling joint military exercises with egypt in response to wednesday's edley crackdown on muslim brotherhood protesters. president barack obama condemned the violence, which cairo now admits left more than 500 people dead. >> muslim brotherhood insists the true death toll is even higher. meanwhile, people in cairo and other cities around egypt ave

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been trying to bury their victims. >> it has become a makeshift morgue for those who died in the army crackdown. relatives of the dead say the authorities are making it difficult to obtain permits to bury them. >> the health ministry is refusing to send people to document the dead bodies. the doctors did the report, but they are unofficial and not accepted. the rights of these people are being ignored. >> security forces have been able to bury their dead. the government has praised them for what it called self- restraint in the face of attacks as they moved in to clear the camp. the muslim brotherhood insists that its protests were nonviolent. >> we will continue until the last man among us dies. the general will be kicked not out of the country, but he will be put on trial and kicked without shoes. >> the u.s. president condemned the steps taken by the interim government and security forces.

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>> our traditional cooperation could not continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets and rights are being rolled back. we notified the egyptian government that we are canceling our biannual joint military exercise, which was scheduled for next month. >> in an interview, germany's foreign minister. >> we condemn this file runs. this violence was avoidable. a political solution was possible. in that respect, the egyptian government has made a grave error. >> the death toll rose as the violence continued on thursday. >> for some further analysis, we turn now to cairo where we are

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talking to the original director of the foundation for the middle eastern. can you give us some background on what has gone so wrong in egypt? >> yes, the main cause of what we are seeing now is the deep polarization between two camps. on the one hand, you have the pro-morsi supporters and on the other hand, anti-morsi supporters. at the end of the day, though, the issue at hand is the identity of egypt. should egypt to be an islamist state as the muslim brotherhood wants, or should it eat a more secular state, as the government and military want? on one hand, you have the muslim brothers. on the other hand, the military.

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>> what about the interim government? what is next for them? what kind of support do they have right now? >> it is very difficult to say, but the whole thing kicked off with a mass demonstration on june 30 where very many people in egypt came to the street and protested and demonstrated against morsi and his muslim brotherhood. that was sort of the green light for the military to step in. we have to watch carefully what the military is doing now. will it give some space to the marginalized muslim brothers, or will it continue its policies of iron fist to become a full-scale military dictatorship. these are the big questions people are asking here. at this very moment, we do not know how tomorrow and after tomorrow will look politically in egypt. >> thank you very much for that. >> staying in the middle east, a series of bomb blasts in the iraqi capital has killed their

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the three people and wounded more than 100. at least five separate explosions were reported, many in areas populated by shia muslims. one bomb went off just a short distance from the green zone diplomatic area. iraq is experiencing levels of violence not seen in five years. locals claimed responsibility for the attack. >> he is a millionaire tobacco magnate who has become president of one of south america's most unequal countries. he was sworn in today with a promise to wage war on poverty. >> he is taking office after a turbulent year in paraguay. last june, it was isolated in the region after the controversial impeachment of a former president. now it is hoped he will be built paraguay's links with neighbors. >> paraguay was not allowed to participate in the last summit in july. it was suspended from the

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alliance last year when they decided the paraguay senate had undemocratically removed the country's president. now paraguay is said to be readmitted to the group, which includes venezuela, brazil, argentina, and uruguay. like the eu, it is a common market, but in south america, political disputes have often hampered free trade. these days, eu nations export nearly 2/3 of their goods to each other. now brazil, south america's biggest economy, is looking to unilaterally strengthen trade ties with the eu, potentially undermining the partnership. >> time to check in with the markets now. we have been watching the days trading in frankfurt. >> traders and frankfurt have a lot of computer strength, but also, they follow the development in egypt on tv screens. the state is out of control.

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this kind of uncertainty has the markets going up. even more important was what came from the united states. u.s. stocks down due to consumer prices. initial jobless claims and output at u.s. factories declined slightly in july, so we had mixed data, but most of the economists assume that the federal reserve would sooner rather than later reduce its bond buying program. it seems as if this could be poison for the financial markets. >> let's take a look at the closing numbers for you in a bit more detail, starting in frankfurt where as we heard, it was not a great day on the dax. euro stoxx 50 similar. bigger gains still on the dow. 15,114 is the number right now. the euro stronger against the

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dollar. freedom is not given to you. you have to take it. a phrase coined by german swiss artist oppenheimer, a member of the serial is movement of the 1920's. >> he died in 1985 and is considered one of the most original artists of the century. >> now, she is being remembered in berlin at a retrospective marking her centennial. >> she was fiercely independent. born in berlin in 1913, the artist also had a knack for the bizarre. the objects she created charmed paris surrealists in the 1930's. and then, a photo of oppenheimer clinched her reputation. but it was this work, a cup, saucer, and spoon, which shot oppenheimer to fame. a photo of it is on display. >> the museum of modern art bought it immediately. of course that earned her the

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respect of other artists. her third cup really captured what surrealism was all about. her problem was she became identified with it for the rest of her life. she spent her whole life trying to shake people's notion that this piece and her work were one in the same. >> 15 years of artists will follow. afterward, she found new inspiration in nature and her dreams. her work took on new forms and materials. she made this work out of an exhaust pipe. whether it was jewelry, fashion, or poetry, she could bring all forms of expression together. >> she said no one gives you freedom. you have to take it. that is how she lived -- without compromise. she did not make any concessions. not to society and not to the

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art market. >> if she herself did not succeed in shaking off the pigeonhole of the for cup, this retrospective aims to do just that. >> it's time for a quick rate. >> will be back in a moment with more on the controversy

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>> welcome back. international athletes at the world championships have been voicing their support for russia's gay community. just lay out laws the promotion of homosexuality. >> it could overshadow next year's winter olympics. competitors and spectators will have to abide by the law. leaders have called for a boycott. this is one of the issues facing fans who are interested in traveling to russia. here's more. >> world-class athletics in the heart of moscow. this mother and daughter have come all the way from germany to

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cheer on their favorite athletes. they had almost forgotten how tough it was to get a visa. >> we did not really have the feeling we could just come here. like in europe or other western countries. but we are actually pleasantly surprised how nice and helpful people are here. >> but there's another side to russia -- especially if you are gay. a new law bans what the authorities term gay propaganda. this gay rights activist wants the international community to intervene but does not think it makes sense to boycott sports events as some have suggested. >> foreign fans should come to the olympic games as planned. and they should think about how they can show their solidarity with days and lesbians and how they could protest against

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homophobia in russia. >> the olympic games are taking place in sochi next february. the athletics world championships are a dresser her so. -- dress rehearsal. this german runner is glad to be in russia but a bit disappointed by the lack of excitement and fanfare. perhaps because muscovites on holiday. she says it simply does not compare to last year's olympic games in britain. >> i would say it is nothing like the atmosphere in london, but things could change. there are still a few more days. >> and there's another issue that could do more than just dampen the atmosphere. terrorism. russia has been hit by a string of attacks blamed on islamist militants from the northern caucasus. central asia expert says it is

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fanatics acting alone who pose the greatest threat to athletes and their fans in russia. >> the state can try to combat terror structures that are more or less organized, but these cold-blooded individuals are capable of anything. >> but for these fans, the main thing that counts at the moment is sport. they are determined to cheer on the athletes despite the kremlin's campaign against dissidents and gay people. >> for more on this, we spoke to a member of the german parliament who sits on the committee of foreign affairs, and we asked her what message russia is sending the rest of the world with its position towards gays. >> we all knew when the international olympic committee gave this event to russia that this was not a democratic state,

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and that there were human rights abuses all over. think about the war in chechnya. and take, for example, the bank takes the case. there already were preparations for this law against the of tb to movement, so the international committee knew what they were doing, and i think all of us have to take responsibility for the event. >> what is your view on a call for a boycott of the winter olympics? >> i think we or the ioc should have thought about that earlier. now many sportspeople have prepared for years for that event, and we are seeing in other cases that using the event for protest is maybe just as

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useful as staying away and dividing the world into two. we had that in moscow in 1980 at the time when the cold war was going on. i would propose use those olympics to have the rainbow flag all over, show it, and thus show that we sympathize with those people in russia who are being suppressed and who fight against this law, which does not go along with the european community, nor with the council of europe, which russia is a member of. >> thank you for joining us. >> a court here in germany has jailed six youths for beating a student to death in berlin. >> it was a case that shocked a city and the country, and it happened in the middle of an open public square in the heart of berlin. >> the full names of the victim and his attackers have been

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withheld under secret -- under courtesy guidelines from the media. >> they hit and kicked johnny over and over again, even as he lay defenseless on the ground. it was here in the center of berlin that the group attacked johnny k last october after he left a bar with a friend. the men initially targeted his friend, but when johnnie told them to back off, they turned on him instead. since the attack, his sister has been campaigning against violence. >> right now, it is about johnny, and it is about being positive about the future so that the perpetrators and victims of such crimes have a point of contact. it is about creating a better future and showing that this is not tolerated in germany. >> the court did not determine which of the men deliver the final blow, so it called the crime assault with fatal consequences, not murder.

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the defense lawyer representing the alleged ringleader plans to appeal the sentence. >> we will certainly not accept this decision, and we will appeal. i'm convinced that this verdict has not uncovered the truth and the facts. >> he faces four and a half years in a youth attention center if the appeal is unsuccessful. >> national elections in germany are just weeks away, and the politicians are out on the campaign trail trying to win over undecided voters. >> this one group have a particular interest, and that is german citizens with -- who are in the turkish minority. >> running for a seat in germany's when the stock, the green party politician is of turkish origin. today, he is out canvassing a berlin district where ethnic minority families make up half the population. many have german citizenship.

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that means they are potential voters. >> if you have a candidate who understands these people's cultural background or even speak the same language as them, then they are more likely to vote than if there are only white german candidates. >> a new study commissioned by a german turkish newspaper found that the votes of so-called new germans such as german turks, can tip the scales in a tight election. >> the social democrats green party enjoy a clear lead and strong support in the german turkish community, but our analysis also shows a shift is taking place. >> analysts found that a segment of the community is also crossing lines to germany's conservative parties. that's because of changing interests. >> it used to be people were interested in policies involving turkey. now people are more focused on domestic issues because now they see germany as home.

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>> he says for that reason, it is more important than ever to focus on getting the ethnic minority vote. once again, the shrine has become the focus of bitterness between japan and its neighbors. >> the shrine in tokyo honors japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals from world war ii ii. >> today, senior politicians paid their respects at the shrine, but the prime minister himself stayed away. >> hundreds of lawmakers and a number of cabinet ministers visited a shrine. the yearly event has become a sore spot for japan's neighbors. members of the conservative government say it is none of their business. >> it is a purely domestic matter how japan honors the war dead, not something that should be criticized or commented on by other countries. >> the sacred spirits of

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japanese heroes are honored here. everyone who died in the war for japan is commemorated, including war criminals. china, korea, and taiwan were the victims of japanese aggression. these protest in taipei are demanding tokyo take a hard look at its history. >> paying respects to the wartime military means the government condones wartime aggression. people from all over asia pacific cannot accept this. >> japan's prime minister, for his part, led an annual ceremony to honor the war dead. he hoped at least his absence from the shrine would placate his neighbors, but they say unless japan owns up fully to its past, ties will remain tense . >> u.s. researchers say they have discovered a new species of mammal in the forests of colombia and ecuador. >> it is the smallest member of the raccoon family. an average adult is about 60

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centimeters long and weighs in at about a kilogram. researchers have the smithsonian -- researchers at the smithsonian museum identified the pretty adorable critter. >> finally, it is about passion, music, love, and lfe. we are talking about the art of tango. >> hundreds of thousands of fans are expected in the world's t capital for the one srs tango festival -- the buenos r s t festival -- the buenos aires tango festival. they have classes for everyone. >> but not everyone will benefit . that is it for us. we will be back in an hour. >> see you. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--